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20th April 2021
03:26pm BST

Neve Jones pictured with her East Belfast GAA team[/caption]
“It’s much more demanding on your cardio, like there’s so much running. You’re always constantly moving, while in rugby you could be laying on the ground having made a tackle, then you get up and sprint 10 or 20 metres, make a tackle and repeat that cycle, so it’s more in bursts while Gaelic is more constant.
“I do think my fitness from rugby put me in good stead because I would have that explosiveness to get off the mark, find the space or get away from a defender.”
In the same way a soccer player would scarcely believe that they can just pick the ball up in their hands, and that kicking the ball over the bar actually counts as a score, Jones found some aspects of playing a new sport almost liberating.
“Being allowed to kick the ball is great. In rugby I wouldn’t dare kick it. We have a few Gaelic players who play rugby for us in Malone and they made the transition over so well, the only thing they probably struggle with is having to pass backwards and maybe the tackling.
“The tackling is something I struggle to get my head around as well because I was told that ladies' football was basically non-contact but some of the tackles were definitely contact and even now I’m like ‘is this a tackle?’ I’m still not really sure. It’s definitely more about using the space rather than just running into people though.”
Jones is looking forward to finding some time to get back to football this year but naturally her focus is still very much on rugby and her Ireland career.
“Well, I've always wanted to be in the green jersey since I started playing rugby, and it's always been something I strive to do and I'm very thankful for the hard work that I put in, my friends and family put in and my coaches put in, all to get me the green jersey and honestly the best feeling in the world is when I’m able to do it.”
Dizzy heights already achieved in rugby with so much more to follow, but by her own admission her personal challenge is to “actually solo the ball this year and I would love to score a point as well”.Explore more on these topics: